5  ^ 


THE  CONSTITUTION 


OF    THE 


Chicago  Literary  Club, 

AnOPTED    DECEMBER  6,   1876. 


* 


*■ 


THE  CONSTITUTION 


OF   THE 


Chicago  Literary  Club, 


ADOPTED   DECEMBER  6,   1876. 


WITH    A   LIST   OF   THE 


OFFICERS,  COMMITTEES    AND    MEMBERS. 


CHICAGO: 

HAZLITT   &    REED,    BOOK   PRINTERS,    I72   AND    1 74   CLARK    STREET. 

1876. 


DEACCESSIONED  BY 

CHICAGO  HISTORICAL  SOClETt, 

PRINTED  COLLECTIONS 


CONSTITUTION. 


ARTICLE    I. 

THE     NAME. 

The  name  of  this  association  shall  be  the  Chicago 
Literary  Club. 

ARTICLE    II. 

THE     OBJECT. 

The  object  of  this  Club  shall  be  social,  literary  and 
aesthetic  culture. 

ARTICLE    III. 

THE     MEMBERS. 

Section  i.  There  shall  be  two  classes  of  members, 
Regular  members,  and  Honorary  Members.  ; 

Sec.  2.  Members  may  be  elected  at  the  fourth  regular 
meeting  of  the  month,  provided  the  candidate  shall  have 
been  nominated  by  the  Committee  on  Officers  and  Mem- 
bers within  the  two  months  next  preceding,  and  his  name 


and  those  of  his  proposers  shall  have  been  posted  in  the 
Club  rooms  for  two  regular  meetings  before  the  ballot 
is  taken. 

Sec.  3.  Application  for  membership  shall  be  in  writ- 
ing and  signed  by  three  members  of  the  Club.  The 
application  shall  state,  in  the  blank  form  furnished  by  the 
committee,  the  candidate's  place  of  nativity,  age,  occu- 
pation, general  qualifications,  if  a  graduate  of  a  college, 
the  name  of  the  college  and  year  of  graduation,  and  that 
the  proposers  believe  that  the  candidate  desires  to  become 
a  member  of  the  Club.  Before  the  ballot  is  taken,  not 
more  than  three  persons  shall  speak  in  favor  of  the  can- 
didate. The  name  shall  be  passed  if  no  one  of  the 
proposers  be  present,  or  if  any  of  the  proposers  shall 
so  request. 

Sec.  4.  The  election  of  members  shall  be  by  secret 
ballot,  and  three  blackballs  shall  prevent  an  election,  pro- 
vided that  in  case  more  than  thirty  ballots  are  cast,  one 
blackball  for  every  ten  ballots  and  one  for  any  fraction 
of  ten,  shall  be  necessaiy  to  prevent  an  election;  and  no 
candidate  who  has  been  rejected  shall  be  proposed  for 
membership  within  three  months  after  such  rejection. 

Sec.  5.  Before  taking  his  seat,  each  member  elect 
shall  signify  his  acceptance  in  writing  to  the  Recording 
Secretary,  and  shall  pay  to  the  Treasurer  five  dollars, 
which    shall    be    his   dues   for   the   four-months'  term   in 


which  he  is  elected.  The  election  of  a  new  member, 
who  does  not  qualify  within  two  months  after  he  has 
been  notified  of  the  same  by  the  Secretary,  shall  be  void. 
Sec.  6.  The  annual  dues  of  members  shall  be  fifteen 
dollars,  payable  in  advance,  in  three  equal  installments, 
namely,  on  the  first  days  of  June,  October  and  February. 

Sec.  7.     Membership  may  be  terminated  as   follows: 

(i.)  By  voluntary  resignation,  provided  that  the  mem- 
ber resigning  has  paid  all  his  dues  to  the  Club,  and  is  in 
good  standing. 

(2.)  By  vote  of  a  majority  of  the  Committee  on 
Rooms  and  Finance,  in  case  a  member  has  failed  to  pay 
his  dues  for  two  months  after  the  same  are  payable,  and 
notice  of  such  arrears  has  been  sent  by  mail  to  his  usual 
place  of  address  at  least  one  week  before  such  action  on 
the  part  of  said  Committee — except  in  case  of  the  absence 
of  such  member  from  the  city  during  the  whole  of  the 
two  months  aforesaid. 

(3.)  By  vote  of  three-fourths  of  the  regular  members 
present  at  any  regular  meeting  for  business,  provided  that 
at  the  previous  business  meeting  there  shall  have  been  a 
motion  regularly  made  and  seconded,  with  reasons  given, 
that  the  name  of  the  designated  member  be  dropped 
from  the  rolls. 

Sec.  8.  Honorary  members  shall  be  elected  like  Reg- 
ular members,  but  shall  be  exempt  from   active  duties 


and  the  payment  of  annual  dues.  Members  removing 
their  residence  from  the  city  and  vicinity,  who  are  in 
good  standing  and  have  paid  all  their  dues  to  the  Club, 
shall  be  enrolled  as  honorary  members. 

ARTICLE    IV. 

OFFICERS. 

Section  i.  The  Officers  of  the  Club  shall  be  a  Pres- 
ident, as  many  Vice-Presidents  as  Standing  Committees, 
a  Corresponding  Secretary,  and  a  Recording  Secretary 
who  shall  also  act  as  Treasurer.  The  Chairman  of  each 
Standing  Committee  shall  be  a  Vice-President. 

Sec.  2.  These  Officers  shall  be  elected  by  ballot,  on 
the  second  Saturday  of  June  in  each  year,  or  in  case  of 
a  failure  then  to  elect,  as  soon  thereafter  as  shall  be 
practicable.  At  the  business  meeting  next  preceding,  the 
Committee  on  Officers  and  Members  shall  submit  their 
regular  nominations  for  all  the  offices  to  be  filled;  and 
thereupon  any  member  or  members  of  the  Club  may 
make  one  or  more  nominations  in  opposition  to  those  of 
said  Committee.  The  election  shall  be  according  to 
common  usage.  The  candidates  for  whom  the  highest 
number  of  votes  shall  be  cast  respectively,  shall  be 
declared  elected.  A  special  election  may  be  ordered  at 
any  business  meeting  to  fill  a  vacancy. 

Sec.  3.     The  Officers  of  the  Club  shall  perform  such 


duties  as  are  implied  by  their  respective  titles,  and  such 
as  shall  be  prescribed  by  the  Constitution. 

Sec.  4.  The  Officers  of  the  Club  shall  constitute  an 
Executive  Board  for  the  transaction  of  all  business  not 
committed  to  any  Standing  or  Special  Committee,  and  for 
the  general  management  of  the  affairs  of  the  Club.  Three 
members  of  the  Executive  Board  shall  constitute  a  quo- 
rum for  the  transaction  of  business. 

ARTICLE    V. 

STANDING     COMMITTEES. 

Section  i.  The  Standing  Committees  of  the  Club 
shall  be  as  follows  : 

1.  On  Nomination  of  Officers  and  Members. 

2.  On  Arrangements  and  Exercises. 

3.  On  Rooms  and  Finance. 

Sec.  2.  Each  Standing  Committee  shall  consist  of  a 
Chairman  and  four  other  members,  who  shall  be  elected 
by  the  Club  at  the  Annual  Meeting  on  the  second  Sat- 
urday in  June. 

Sec.  3.  The  several  Standing  Committees  shall  per- 
form the  duties  implied  by  their  respective  titles,  and 
such  other  duties  as  may  be  specially  imposed  upon  them 
by  the  Club. 

Sec,  4.  The  Committee  on  Rooms  and  Finance  shall 
have  charge  of  the  Club  Rooms,  and  shall  restrict  the 
expenses  of  the  Club  to  its  income. 


8 

ARTICLE    VI. 

MEETINGS. 

Section  i.  Regular  meetings  of  the  Club  shall  be 
held  on  every  Saturday  evening  in  the  year,  except  in 
the  months  of  July,  August  and  September,  and  the 
exercises  of  each  meeting  shall  be  under  the  direction 
of  the  Committee  on  Arrangements  and  Exercises.  The 
first  and  third  meetings  of  the  month  shall  be  for  literary 
exercises.  The  second  meeting  shall  be  for  conversation 
and  entertainments,  of  which  written  papers  shall  form 
no  part.  The  fourth  meeting  shall  be  devoted  to  the 
business  of  the  Club  and  the  election  of  members,  at 
which  meeting  there  shall  be  a  collation.  The  fifth 
meeting  (if  any)  of  the  month  shall  be  for  social  pur- 
poses and  such  other  entertainments  as  may  be  provided 
by  the  Committee  in  charge.  Persons  not  residing  in 
Chicago  or  vicinity  may  be  present  at  meetings  of  the 
Club,  upon  the  invitation  of  a  member;  but  no  member 
shall  be  at  liberty  to  give  such  invitation  to  a  resident  of 
Chicago  or  vicinity. 

Sec.  2.  Additional  meetings  may  be  ordered  by  the 
Club,  or  called  by  the  President,  as  occasion  may  require. 

Sec.  3.  The  order  of  proceedings  at  the  regular 
meetings  of  the  Club,  unless  otherwise  specially  provided, 
shall  be  under  the  direction  of  the  President. 


ARTICLE    VII. 

LITERARY     EXERCISES. 

Section  i.  The  Literary  Exercises  in  general  shall 
not  continue  more  than  one  hour. 

Sec.  2.  The  essayist  shall  select  his  own  subject  and 
be  free  to  express  any  opinions  whatsoever  thereon. 

Sec.  3.  The  Club,  as  such,  shall  express  no  opinions 
in  religion,  politics,  social  science,  political  economy,  or 
any  other  subject.  It  shall  not  by  vote  endorse  or  con- 
demn any  paper  that  may  be  read  or  views  that  may  be 
expressed  by  any  member.  No  paper  at  the  time  it  is 
read  shall  be  open  to  adverse  criticism  in  the  Club. 

Sec.  4.  The  Committee  on  Arrangements  and  Exer- 
cises shall,  on  or  before  the  first  meeting  of  the  Club  in 
the  Autumn,  prepare  and  print  a  scheme  of  exercises, 
with  the  dates  and  the  names  of  the  readers  and  the 
editors  for  the  whole  season.  The  subject  of  each  essay- 
ist shall  be  announced  at  the  meeting  next  preceding. 

ARTICLE    VIII. 

A     QUORUM. 

Twenty  regular  members  of  the  Club  shall  constitute 
a  quorum  for  the  transaction  of  business ;  but  a  less 
number  shall  have  power  to  adjourn  from  time  to  time. 


lO 

ARTICLE    IX. 

AMENDMENTS. 

The  Constitution  may  be  amended  at  any  business 
meeting  by  vote  of  two-thirds  of  the  members  present, 
provided  that  the  proposed  amendment  shall  have  been 
submitted  to  the  Club  at  the  business  meeting  next 
preceding. 


OFFICERS. 

President.     C.  B.  Lawrence. 

Vice-Presidp:nts,     Henry  Booth,  W.  F.  Poole,  D.  L.  Shorey. 

Corresponding  Secretary.    (Vacancy.) 

Recording  Secretary  and  Treasurer.    E.  G.  Mason. 

COMMITTEES 

On  Officers  and  Members.     Henry  Booth,  J.  R.  Doolittle,  A.  C. 

McClurg,  M.  L.  Scudder,  Jr.,  H.  D.  Lloyd. 
On  Arrangements  and  Exercises.     W.  F.  Poole,  K.  Kohler,  W. 

E.  Furness,  A.  B.  Mason,  (one  vacancy). 
On  Rooms  and  Finance.     D.  L,  Shorey,  Franklin  MacVeagh,  E.  S. 

Waters,  J.  C.  Patterson,  W.  M.  R.  French. 


HONOBARY    MEMBERS. 


Arthur  Brooks,  New  York  City.  H.  N.  Powers,  Bridgeport,  Ct. 

H.  S.  Brown,  Philadelphia.  M.  J.  Savage,  Boston,  Mass. 

C.  D.  Helmer,  Brooklyn,  N.  Y.  G.  B.  Smith,  ISIadison,  Wis. 

R.  H.  Mason,  Jefferson  City,  Montana.  H.  W.  Thomas,  Aurora,  III. 

Lemuel  Moss,  Bloomington,  111.  C.  W.  Wendte,  Cincinnati,  O. 


1 1 


REGULAR  MEMBERS,  March  1876. 


Charles  Adams, 
C.  T.  Adams, 
Joseph  Adams, 
S.  W.  Andrew, 
E.  Andrews, 
J.  W.  Andrews, 
I.  N.  Arnold, 
E.  G.  Asay, 

B.  F.  Ayer, 

H.  H.  Babcock, 
H.  C.  Bannard, 
W.  A.  Bartlett, 
W.  H.  Barnum, 
Cecil  Barnes, 
H.  W.  Bishop, 

C.  C.  Bonney, 
Henry  Booth, 
William  Brackett, 
E.  O.  Brown, 

J.  C.  Burroughs, 
G.  C.  Campbell, 
L.  T.  Chamberlain, 
T.  S.  Chard, 
E.  C.  Clarke, 
G.  C.  Clarke, 
W.  H.  Clarke, 
W.  H.  S.  Cleveland, 
Robert  Collyer, 
W.  F.  Coolbaugh, 
J.  M.  Corse, 
John  Crerar, 
Franklin  Denison, 
W.  E.  Doggett, 
J.  R.  Doolittle, 
J.  R.  Doolittle,  Jr., 
C.  A   Dupee, 
David  Fales, 
W.  L.  Fawcett, 
R.  N    Foster, 
W.  M.  R.  French, 
W.  E.  Furness, 
Simeon  Gilbert, 
C.  A  Gregory, 
E.  M.  Hale, 


G.  F.  Harding, 
S.  S.  Harris, 
G.  P.  A.  Healy, 
P.  N.  Haskell, 
J.  J.  Herrick, 
Robert  Hervey, 
H.  N.  Hibbard, 
J.  L.  High, 
George  Howland, 
Thomas  Hoyne, 
J.  J.  Hoyt, 
J.  A.  Hunt, 
H.  A.  Huntington, 
J.  N.  Hvde, 
J.  T.  Hyde, 
E.  S.  Isham, 
J.  S.  Jewell, 
J.  N.  Jewett, 
H.  W.  Jackson, 
J.  A.  Jameson, 
H.  A.  Johnson, 
H.  W.  Jones, 
W.  H.  King, 
Joseph  Kirkland, 
A.  S.  Kissell, 
K.  Kohler, 
J.  J.  Lalor, 
E.  C.  Lamed, 
W.  C.  Larned, 
Bryan  Lathi  op, 
C.  B.  Lawrence, 
J.  B.  Leake, 
J.  V.  LeMoyne, 
R.  T.  Lincoln, 
H.  D.  Lloyd, 
J.  E.  Lockwood, 
Reuben  Ludlum, 
E.  B.  McCagg, 
A.  C.  McClurg, 
William  Macdonell, 
Franklin  MacVeagh, 
L.  D.  Mansfield, 
A.  B.  Mason, 
E.  G.  Mason, 


H.  B.  Mason, 
William  Mathews, 
S.  M.  Moore, 
Murry  Nelson, 
G.  L.  Paddock, 
J.  C.  Patterson, 
R.  M.  Patterson, 
Bronson  Peck,  Jr., 
A.  M.  Pence, 
N.  C.  Perkins, 
W.  J.  Petrie, 
J.  L.  Pickard, 
W.  F.  Poole, 
J.  G.  Rogers, 
John  W.  Root, 
Julius  Rosenthal, 
J.  B.  Runnion, 
W,  H.  Ryder, 
George  Schneider, 
J.  J.  Schobinger, 
M.  L.  Scudder,  Jr., 

D.  L.  Shorey, 
J.  G.  Shortall, 
Mark  Skinner, 
Orrin  Skinner, 

E.  A.  Small, 
C.  G.  Smith, 

F.  B.  Smith, 

G.  W.  Smith, 
H.  T.  Steele, 
E.  S.  Stickney, 
David  Swing, 

J.  L.  Thompson, 
Lambert  Tree, 
Lyman  Trumbull, 
L.  W.  Volk, 
E.  S.  Waters, 
J.  D.  Webster, 
Horace  White. 
P.  B.  Wight, 
John  Wilkinson, 
Norman  Williams, 
A.  W   Windett. 


C.S 

R/tR£ 


